Universal joint.



E. H. MESSITER.

UNIVERSAL JOINT.

APPLIOATION rILnn APR. 4, 1910.

993,701 Pa tented May 30,1911.

wnmssssi r 1. )(mi :32 TTORNEYS rnl NORRIS FITIII co. \nlllma'mn. It c.

* longitudinal tension, and the main object of at each end thereof, andthe accessibility my invention may be thoroughly under- EDWIN H.MESSITER, OF

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

UNIVERSAL JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1911.

Application filed April 4, 1910. Serial No. 553,342.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN H. MESSITER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in UniversalJoints, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof. My inventionrelates to improvements in universal joints, and particularly touniversal joints adapted to be employed under my invention is to reduceto a minimum the friction between the moving parts thereof whenrevolving under such longitudinal tension. Such a joint is particularlyuseful for connecting the angularly disposed members of suspensivelysupported conveyer belt idler pulleys. This form of pulley is adesirable one owing to the reduction of the supporting bearingsemployed, one only being required thereof, but these advantages aresomewhat offset where a universal joint is employed for connecting them,which itself is subjected to considerable wear. A joint constructed inaccordance with my present invention avoids this difliculty, for thefriction therein being reduced to substantially nothing, there ispractically no wear upon the parts.

My invention consists in a universal joint having rotatable membersprovided with op positely disposed intersecting knife edge bearingportions preferably arranged ninety degrees apart, and a floatingbearing block having oppositely disposed bearing surfaces, convenientlyof V-shape, for respective engagement therewith.

-My invention alsodonsists in a means in combination with the foregoingfor preventing movements of the knife edge portions longitudinally alongtheir respective bearing grooves, and in certain novel features ofconstruction and combinations ofparts to be presently described, and inorder that stood, I will now proceed to describe an embodiment thereof,having reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating the same, andwill then point out the novel features in claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in central longitudinal sectionthrough a universal joint constructed in accordance with my invention,showing the same as connecting two angularly disposed belt conveyoridler pulley members. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the jointand in longitudinal section through the pulley members, the point ofview being taken at right angles to the point of View. of Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a detail sectional view of the universal joint upon an enlargedscale. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one form of the floatingbearing block employed. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing two ofthe joints as employed for connecting the pulley members together.

The universal joint, as a whole, comprises two rotatable members 10 and11 adapted to be angularly disposed with intersecting axes, and afloating supporting block 12 between them. Each of the members 10 and 11includes a knife edge portion 14 disposed at right angles to the axis ofrotation there-V of and facing inward in the longitudinal direction ofsuch axis of rotation. The two members 13 and 14: are arranged to hookover each other, being preferably disposed angularly ninety degreesapart and with their edges in substantial engagement at the point ofintersection of the axes of rotation of the members, all as will be wellunderstood by reference to the drawings. It will be understood that thedesired and ideal condition of the parts is with the knife edges of thetwo members 13 and 14 actually meeting and that such point of meetingshall be exactly the point of intersection between the axes of rotationof the parts carrying them. Any extensive variation from this conditionwould cause frictional movement between the parts which is otherwiseobviated, but it will of course be understood that slight variationsfrom this condition readily occur in practical use and hence to define acondition wherein these knife'edges actually meet at such a point, or sonearly meet that the friction resulting from their failure to actuallymeet is negligible for practical purposes, I have employed theexpression substantially meeting in the claims, and in the use of suchexpression I wish to be understood as defining a condition wherein theparts do not substantially depart from a point of actually meeting andthat this point shall not substantially depart from the point ofintersection of the axes of the rotatable members. The floating bearingblock 12, in the form shown, is provided with two V-shaped bearingportions 15 and 16 for co-engagement with the knife edges 13 and 14respectively, the said bearing portions facing in opposite directionsand being disposed angularly ninety degrees apart. The block is thusheld against movement i'n'the plane of either of the knife edges but maymove freely in a direction transverse to such plane, it being understoodthat the angle of approach to the bearing line is greater than the angleof the knife edge portion so that the knife edge portion may rockbackward and forward laterally in the said bearing groove. It will bereadily understood that such a joint will support considerablelongitudinal stress without any friction occurring in the rotationof theparts, because the movement of the parts will be rocking ones betweenthe knife edges and the bearing portions, only.

In order to prevent the parts moving relatively in a direction at rightangles to their rocking movements, I conveniently provide the floatingblock 12 upon either side thereof, in proximity to the oppositelydisposed V-shaped bearing grooves, with flanges 17 between which thereis a transverse slot 18 for receiving a guide pin 19. Each of the knifeedge portions is provided with such a pin 19 which is received withinthe slot 18 between a pair of the flanges 17 upon the corresponding sideof the said block, the flanges 17 upon opposite sides of the said blockbeing arranged angularly 90 apart, whereby on each side they are atright angles to the longitudinal plane of the rocking axis at that side.Such an arrangement provides a means for preventing lateral displacementof the parts, 2'. 6., any movement of the knife edge portionslongitudinally with respect to the V-shaped bearing groove with whichsuch part is in engagement, but as any tendency to get out of line is anabnormal one, it follows that such an engagement is unusual and theamount of friction between the bearing and the flanges is hencesubstantially negligible. Furthermore, an antifriction roller 20 may, ifdesired, be employed around the pin 19, such as will tend to furtherdecrease the friction at this point.

In the drawings I have shown this joint as connected with members 21-22of a conveyer 'belt idler pulley. The joint is particularly adapted forthis purpose becau e it will stand longitudinal stress without causingany substantial amount of friction to be introduced, so thatsuspensively employed pulleys may be practically employed, it being alsounderstood that as the members of such pulleys are driven by the belt,there is substantially no driving torque between the elements of thejoint.

Because of the fact that the angular velocity of the two joint elementsvaries relatively, at various positions of the joint, I have in Fig. 5shown a form in which two of such joints are employed with correspondingelements oppositely disposed, whereby such relative variation of speedis corrected and the two pulley members are caused to i movesynchronously throughout their entire revolution. In such case the knifeedge portions upon the adjacent sides of the two joints may be formed asa continuous link 23, this being a simple, inexpensive, strong, anddurable form in which to construct the parts, as will be readilyunderstood by ref erence to Fig. 5.

What I claim is:

1. A universal joint having rotatable members arranged to be disposedwith their axes intersecting each other at a point, the said membersbeing provided with oppositely disposed transverse knife-edge bearingportions arranged across each other and substantially meeting at thesaid point of axial intersection, and a floating bearing block havingoppositely disposed bearing surfaces for respective engagement with thesaid knife edge portions.

2. A universal joint having rotatable members arranged to be disposedwith their axes intersecting each other at a point, the said membersbeing provided with oppositely disposed transverse knife-edge bearingportions arranged across each other and substantially meeting at thesaid point of axial intersection, and a bearing block having oppositelydisposed V-shaped bearing grooves for respective engagement with thesaid knife edge portions.

3. A universal oint comprising two rotatable elements arranged to bedisposed with their axes intersecting each other at a point, each of thesaid elements being provided with a knife edge portion disposed atsubstantially a right angle with respect to its axis of rotation andfacing inwardly in the direction of the length thereof, the knife edgesof the two said elements being disposed transversely across each otherin hooked relation and arranged to substantially meet at the said pointof axial intersection, and a floating bearing block having oppositelydisposed bearing surfaces for respective engagement with the said knifeedges.

4. A universal oint comprising two rot-atable elements arranged to bedisposed with their axes intersecting each other at a point, each of thesaid elements being provided with a knife edge portion disposed atsubstantially a right angle with respect to its axis of rotation andfacing inwardly in the direction of the length thereof, the knife edgesof the two said elements being disposed transversely across each otherat substantially right angles, and arranged to substantially meet at thesaid point of axial intersection, and a bearing block having twooppositely disposed V-shaped bearing grooves, disposed at substantiallyright angles to each other, for respective engagement with the saidknife edges.

5. A universal joint having relatively rotatable members arranged to bedisposed with their axes intersecting each other at a point, the saidmembers being provided with oppositely disposed transverse knife-edgebearing portions arranged across each other and substantially meeting atthe said point of axial intersection, a floating bearing block havingoppositely disposed bearing surfaces for respective engagement with thesaid knife edge portions, and means for pre-. venting relative movementof the said knife edge portions with respect to the block in a directionlengthwise with respect to the bearing surfaces thereof.

6. A universal joint having relatively rotatable members arranged to bedisposed with their axes intersecting each other at a point, the saidmembers being provided with oppositely disposed transverse knifeedgebearing portions arranged across each other and substantially meeting atthe said point of axial intersection, a bearing block having oppositelydisposed V-shaped bearing grooves for respective engagement with thesaid knife edge portions, and means for preventing relative movement ofthe said knife edge portions with respect to the block in a directionlengthwise with respect to the bearing surfaces thereof.

7. A universal joint comprising two rotatable elements arranged to bedisposed with their axes intersecting each other at a point, each of thesaid elements being provided with a knife edge portion disposed atsubstantially a right angle with respect to its axis of rotation andfacing ,inwardly in the direction of the length thereof, the knife edgesof the two said elements being disposed transversely across each otherand arranged to substantially meet at the said point of axialintersection, a floating bearing block having oppositely disposedbearing surfaces for respective engagement with the said knife edges,and means for preventing relative movement of the said knife edgeportions with respect to the block in a direction lengthwise withrespect to the bearing surfaces thereof.

8. A universal joint comprising two rotatable elements arranged to bedisposed with their axes intersecting each other at a point, each of thesaid elements being provided with a knife edge portion disposed atsubstantially a right angle with respect to its axis of rotation andfacing inwardly in the direction of the length thereof, the knife edgesof the two said elements being disposed transversely across each otherat substantially right angles, and arranged to substantially meet at thesaid point of axial intersection, a bearing block having two oppositelydisposed V-shaped bearing grooves, disposed at substantially rightangles to each other, for respective engagement with the said knifeedges, and means for preventing relative movement of the said knife edgeportions with respect to the block in a direction lengthwise withrespect to the bearing edges thereof.

9. A universal joint having relatively rotatable members arranged to bedisposed with their axes intersecting each other at a point, the saidmembers being provided with oppositely disposed transverse knife-edgebearing portions arranged across each other and to substantially meet atthe said point of axial intersection, a floating bearing block havingoppositely disposed bearing surfaces for respective engagement with thesaid knife edge portions, and lateral guides at right angles to the lineof engagement of the knife edges upon the same side of the block, thesaid k11ife-edge port-ions being provided with projections forengagement with the said guides.

10. The combination with rotatable pulley members having intersectingaxes, of two universal joints connecting them, each of the universaljoints including transversely disposed knife edge bearing portionsarranged to cross each other, and floating bearing blocks for respectiveengagement with each pair of knife edge portions, the contiguous knifeedge portions of the two joints being formed in the same plane andcomprising a continuous link.

EDlVIN H. MESSITER.

\Vitnesses:

D. HowAnn HAYwoon, LYMAN S. ANDREWS, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

